The
first two or three digits of an EAN-13 barcode identify the country in which the
manufacturer's identification code was assigned. They do not necessarily indicate
the country in which the goods were manufactured. Many countries have EAN coding
authorities which regulate the use of retail barcodes. For names, addresses, and telephone
numbers, click here to view our list of Standards
Organizations. In the United States the UPC-A and UPC-E symbologies are used for
marking retail products; the administering authority is the Uniform Code Council in
Dayton, Ohio (tel. 937-435-3870).